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From Tony Heitmeyer:

An early morning fire destroyed the Kerns Chevrolet auto dealership building in the 200 block of S. Walnut Street in downtown Celina Wednesday.

According to Celina Fire Department Chief Joel Lange, the fire was discovered shortly after 1 am by a passing Celina police officer, who noticed smoke and flames coming from the north side of the building.

Fire crews initially made entry to fight the flames from inside, but after a short while, the roof began to sag, and they had to evacuate the building for their own safety.

Chief Lange said crews continued to battle the smoke and flames for several hours in a defensive mode and also worked to protect a parts building nearby. A piece of construction equipment was brought in about 6:30 to knock down walls so crews could reach stubborn spots of the fire that were still burning.

The dealership owner told Chief Lange there were several vehicles in the building, which houses the dealership showroom, offices, and service department.

Firefighters from several neighboring Mercer County communities also responded to assist in battling the flames. The State Fire Marshal's Office will be called in to help investigate the cause of the fire. A loss estimate has not yet been determined. There were no injuries.

From Chief Lange:

Date: April 3, 2024

To: Local Media Outlets

Re: Fire at 218 South Walnut Street

At approximately 0110 hours this morning a Celina Police officer observed fire and smoke coming from the north side of the Kern’s Chevrolet GMC dealership located at 218 South Walnut.

Coldwater, Montezuma, and Rockford Fire Departments were called to assist in extinguishing the fire.

Nitro’s Towing was also on scene and did assist in moving vehicles away from the fire building.

MCERV was also requested to assist in rerouting traffic around the fire scene. The building sustained heavy fire and smoke damage and the State Fire Marshal’s Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau was requested to assist in determining the cause of the fire.

Final extinguishment of the fire and the fire investigation is currently ongoing at the time of this release. We appreciate the assistance from our neighboring fire departments, Nitro’s Towing and MCERV for their help this morning

Picture courtesy of WHIO